This invention pertains to a combination pouring trough and splash shield, also called a pouring shield, for use with a food mixer. In particular, the invention relates to a two-piece pouring shield which is comprised of separable portions for use with a mixing bowl.
In the use of food mixers, it is desirable to use a splash shield mounted on the mixing bowl to prevent splashing of food particles out of the mixing bowl. Furthermore, it is desirable in the use of a food mixer that additional ingredients may be added to the mixing bowl while the mixing bowl is mounted on the mixer. For that reason, it is desirable to provide a pouring shield for use with a food mixing bowl and which is simple in construction, light in weight, economical to manufacture, easy to use, and which fits mixing bowls of various sizes. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide such a pouring shield which is easy to clean and which is transparent so that the mixing operation can be observed through the pouring shield.
Prior art one piece or unitary pouring shields have been provided which are formed of a transparent material and which are frusto-conical in shape and include a pouring trough as an integral part of the pouring shield. Such pouring shields include a sufficiently large central opening to accommodate the planetary action of the agitator shafts of certain mixers. One problem with such one-piece pouring shields has been that they may be used only on bowls of a particular size, so that several sizes of pouring shields had to be provided to accommodate the variously sized bowls used with the mixer. An additional problem with these prior art unitary pouring shields has been that they are not easy to remove from the bowl when the bowl is mounted on a food mixer.
Prior art splash guards for mixing bowls have also been provided which include a removable or pivotable portion. These prior art splash guards were securely attached to the mixing bowl. The removable portion was secured to the splash guard either by removable brackets, pins, or by a bracket which permitted pivoting of the removable portion. Such prior art splash guards did not include a pouring trough and also were not constructed to accommodate variously sized mixing bowls. Furthermore, such prior art splash guards were difficult to clean and difficult to remove from the mixing bowls.
Another type of prior art splash guard comprises a planar splash guard which covers the entire mixing bowl and which includes relatively small apertures for accommodating the agitator shafts of a food mixer. Thus such splash guards can not be used with mixers wherein the agitator shafts move in planetary fashion. Furthermore, such splash guards do not include a pouring trough whereby the entire splash guard must be removed from the mixing bowl in order to add further ingredients thereto.
Thus it is desired to provide a two-piece pouring shield for a mixing bowl which is simple in construction, efficient, light in weight, easy to clean, economical to manufacture, is easy to use with a variety of sizes of mixing bowls, and which may be placed on the mixing bowl when the mixing bowl is mounted on a mixer.